County News
Health information
Face coverings a recommendation, not a requirement
After a three-week break following the birth of his third child, Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) returned to host the weekly Facebook Live session. He was joined Thursday by Dr. Ethan Toumishey, where they provided an update on the local COVID-19 outbreak picture in week nine. The public are encouraged to post questions and comments at facebook.com/hpepublichealth to be answered during the weekly live broadcasts (videos are posted at this link after each broadcast).
Dr. Oglaza provided an update on the numbers, noting 80,544 labconfirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada, 24,187 in Ontario, and 43 in Hastings Prince Edward counties (with HPE recording its first new case in 17 days), with the number of deaths remaining unchanged at five. There are 184 probable cases, with over 6,500 tests administered in HPE. The number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario continues an upward trend with more than 400 new cases being recorded daily.
Dr. Toumishey began by emphasising the importance of physical activity, whether someone is eight or 80. “Regular physical activity is vital for maintaining physical and mental health, and especially during the pandemic,” he said. “Physical activity can help you to better handle stress and help you sleep more soundly.” While gyms and recreation centres remain closed, he said there are many opportunities for getting fresh air and exercise, including going for a walk, making use of parks and trails, and gardening, as well many online activities.
RE-OPENING OF BUSINESSES
It was noted that additional businesses were permitted to be open at the beginning of the week as the province continues its phased reopening of services. “All local businesses have been directed to follow safety guidelines made available by the province in order to protect staff, consumers and the public during this outbreak,” said Oglaza. “We are collaborating with local municipalities and partners to determine how we can best work together to ensure local workplaces can open safely.” While the province has lifted restrictions in certain areas, he said it was still very important to remember that the pandemic is not over yet. “There is still a risk of the pandemic being spread in the community; the risk is lower than it was previously, but we are still in the pandemic.”
NON-MEDICAL FACE COVERINGS
Public health said the province has shared some additional recommendations about appropriate use of non-medical face coverings when physical distancing is not easily maintained. “There is no general requirement for individuals (who are well) to wear any kind of face coverings in public,” said Oglaza. “However, wearing a mask is an additional step we can take to protect others around you. This can reduce the risk of your respiratory droplets coming into contact with others or landing on surfaces.” Dr. Toumishey added, “While non-medical masks may help to protect others around you, they have not been proven to protect the individual wearing it.” He reminded viewers that wearing a mask does not replace the need for physical distancing and hand hygiene. Due to the international shortage of personal protective equipment, medical masks must be prioritized for front line workers, he added.
Dr. Oglaza also noted that masks need to be worn correctly, and also be cleaned. “They should be worn covering nose and mouth, and worn tightly,” he said. “They should be made out of material that has at least two layers of tightly-woven material, and be able to be cleaned multiple times without losing their shape in order to offer sufficient protection.” He also noted that non-medical face coverings should be put on and removed in the correct way. “We should be avoiding touching the masks and adjusting them, and definitely not sharing the masks with others.” Dr. Toumishey said if you are choosing to wear a mask to be conscious of how much you are adjusting it. We have seen in observational studies that people tend to touch their face more when wearing a mask and adjust it more, so know the proper procedure to avoid unnecessary risk.”
TESTING/CONTACT TRACING
All long-term care residents and staff in HPE have now been tested, including daycare providers for essential workers. Dr. Toumishey added that other congregate settings, such as group homes, are being examined at the provincial level. “Provincial bodies are looking at overall testing strategy considerations in other congregate settings, but there is no specific directive for group homes at this time.”
One question asked about contact tracing for those individuals confirmed positive. “We start fairly broadly from 48 hours before their symptoms and try to identify what we call close contacts, usually someone who lives in the same household or who has been within the two-metre radius for a long time,” said Oglaza. “We trace back the history of where that person has been, looking at individual history.”
Another question enquired about testing for antibodies on those who have recovered. Dr. Toumishey said, “The serological test was approved by Heath Canada and is being validated at the provincial labs for characteristics and how it could be incorporated into the provincial testing strategy.” In answer to a question about vaccines, Dr. Toumishey said work is going on. “It is encouraging to see vaccine candidates moving through the clinical trial process, but there is no specific timeline for a vaccine.”
TRANSMISSION
The question was raised about disinfecting clothes and shoes, where Dr. Oglaza said the risk is really small. “The chances of anything getting on our clothing or bringing something in on the sole of the shoe are very remote,” he said. “And the chances of anything from our clothing infecting us are very small.” Someone also asked about the spread from animals (specifically pets). Dr. Oglaza said there was not a lot of evidence COVID-19 can spread from humans to animals or vice versa. “It is theoretically possible, but we have not seen much evidence of it happening.”
WIPING DOWN PURCHASES
Other than washing produce, it was asked if it was necessary to wipe down groceries and other purchased items people bring into their homes. Dr. Oglaza said there was a very low risk for transmission because people shouldn’t be excessively handling packaging in the store. “The biggest return on prevention is to wash our hands, keep distance and wash produce.” He added that if disinfectant wipes are used on packaging, it is not recommended they be used on the food.
Dr. Toumishey noted that reports from poison control centres that people were engaging in more cleaning and in practices such as combining household cleaners, resulting in a number of inadvertent poisonings. “When cleaning and disinfecting homes, follow the instructions on the label of the product and avoid combining products for safety.”
COVID-19 STATISTICS (AT MAY 26):
Lab-confirmed cases: 85,987 (Canada); 26,191 (ONT) [65% in GTA]; 43 (HPE)* ** ***; 5-9 (PEC)+
* Transmission cause: Travel: 14; close contact: 7; community: 22
** 12/43: Long-term care residents; 8/43: health care workers
*** Age 60 and over: 30% female/19% male; Age 40- 59: 23% female/7% male; Age 20-39: 9% female/9% male; Age 19 and under: 2% female/0% female
+ In rural communities where numbers are low, a range is given to ensure anonymity
Probable cases: 183 (HPE); 39 (PEC)
Tests completed: 1,500,557 (Canada); 608,832 (ONT); 7,021 (HPE) [In HPE: 4.2% of population tested, with 0.6% positivity]
Hospitalized (HPE): 0
Facility outbreaks (HPE): 0
Deceased: 6,566 (Canada); 2,123 (ONT) [63% longterm care residents]; 5 (HPE) [3 long-term care]
Recovered: 32 (HPE)
Resources: hpepublichealth.ca
HPEPH COVID-19 Information Line: 613-966- 5500/1-800-267-2803 (5 days a week).
thecounty.ca/county-residents/covid-19/
County COVID-19 Help Line: 1.833.676.2148 (5 days a week).
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